One in three road accidents happen a mile from home, survey says

Almost one out of three road accidents happen within a mile of a motorist's
home, a survey has shown.

Hitting parked cars was the number one cause of accidents within a mile of a driver's homePhoto: GETTY

7:00AM BST 13 Aug 2009

Hitting parked cars was the number one cause of accidents within a mile of a driver's home, according to a poll commissioned by insurance company elephant.co.uk.

The survey of 3,800 people found that three out of 10 crashes happened less than a mile from home, with more than a third between one and five miles. It also found more than one in ten occurred six to 10 miles from home and a similar number from 11 to 25 miles.

Of the accidents closest to home, other reasons included crashing while driving out of a minor road, followed by reversing into a vehicle and by hitting a wall.

"Our research suggests that many drivers appear to be in a comfort zone when driving close to home on familiar roads, hence why such a large proportion of accidents occur there," said Brian Martin, managing director of Elephant.co.uk.

"It's so important to keep a full level of concentration when driving, whether you're just popping to the shops or starting or ending a longer journey. These results emphasise this even more.

"It's interesting to note that the type of accidents people most commonly have close to home happen at lower speeds and involve less impact. In fact, these accidents could involve people simply manoeuvring in or out of their driveway.

"It's vital people stay alert and avoid complacency when driving close to home."